Variable-speed mechanism.



N o. 848,870. Q 4 PATENTED APR. 2, 19-07.

F. A. WELLER.

VARIABLE $PEED MEGHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAY 21,1906.

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No. 848,870. 8 PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

F. WELLER; J VARIABLE SPEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION im) MAY 21, 1906.

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FRANKLIN A. WELLER, OF-TROY, NEW YORK.

VARIABLE-SPEED MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed May 21,1906. Serial No. 317,911.

To err/Z7 whom it Wmy concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN A. WELLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Variable-Speed Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to such improvements, and consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view, partly in section, of my improved gear applied to a frame of a motor-vehicle, which is shown in part only. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the broken line 2 2 in Fig. 1, showing parts of the device in elevation. Fig. 3 is a view similar to thatshown in Fig.

2, showing a movement of the oscillatory arm and arm-actuating lever. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the oscillatory arm mounted upon the motor-shaft with some of the other parts detached for the purposes of better illustration. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the stepped arm, detached, of the lever which operates the oscillatory arm. Fig. 6 is a detached plan view, partly in section, showing a means for reversing in connection with my improved gear. Fig.- 7 is a vertical crosssection taken on the broken line 7 7 in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-section taken on the broken line 8 8 in Fig. 4.

My invention is particularly applicable to motor-vehicles.

The object of the invention is to provide an easily and quickly manipulated mechanism for disconnecting the power and changing the speed.

The invention consists, first, in a sprocketdriven sprocket chain capable of lateral movements in the plane of the drivingsprocket adapted to be moved into and out of engagement with a working sprocket by communicating such lateral movements to the chain; second, a similar sprocket-chain adapted to be moved longitudinally of the motor-shaft, which actuates the sprocketwheel, which drives the chain until it is brought into the same plane with a selected one of a plurality of working sprockets, which differ in diameter, and means for forcing the chain laterally into and out of engagement with such selected sprocket, as hereinafter described and subsequently pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a portion of the frame of a motor-vehicle. A motor-shaft 2, a portion being broken away, is rotatively mounted upon such frame, being supported at one end b a bearingbracket 3, secured to the frame by bolts 4, passing down through slot 5, formed in the bracket. The shaft is also rotary'in sleeve 6, which is secured to the frame by the clamp 7. The sprocket-wheel 8 is fixed upon the hub 9 by the screw-threads 10, and the hub is adapted to slide longitudinally of the shaft and made to revolve with the shaft by means of the spline 12. (Shown partly in dotted lines.) The bifurcated oscillatory arm 15 is also adapted to slide longitudinally of the sleeve 6, each bifurcate arm being provided with a split clamping-ring 16 and 17, loosely fitting the exterior of the sleeve. The ring 16 is connected with the hub 9 by means of a spanner 18, secured at one end to ring 16 by bolt 19 and at the other end let into a spanner-groove 20 in the hub.

The spanner is connected by link 21, bellcrank lever 22, and link 23 with the bellcrank lever 24, fulcrumed at 25 on the frame and provided with an operating-handle 26, by means of which the sprocket-wheel and the oscillatory arm can be given like slide movements longitudinally of the motor-shaft.

The oscillatoryarm is provided at its oscillatory end with an idle wheel 30, adapted to support one end of the sprocket-chain 31, the other end of the chain being supported by the driving-sprocket 8.

As a preferred means for securing the idle wheel to the end of the oscillatory arm I provide the arm with a slideway 32, adapted to receive the slide-block 33. (Shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.) This block is rovided with a projecting stud 34, one end 0 which is reduced in size and screw-threaded and inserted in a similar threaded opening in the block, as shown in Fig. 8.

The projectingend of the stud forms a journal for the support of the idle wheel, which is mounted loosely thereon and held thereon by the nut 35, screwed onto the screw-threaded projection 36 against a shoulder 37, whereby the idle wheel and its hub 38 I hand-lever 62, which will restore the parts to are loosely confined between the nut and the slide-block.

As a means for adjusting the tension of the sprocket-chain I have shown the slidewayframe provided with an adjusting-screw 40, passing down through a similar threaded opening in the upper cross-bar 41 of the slideway to bear upon the slide-block, the adjusting-screw being locked in position by tho lock-nut 42.

It will be observed that the spanner 18 maintains the driving sprocket-wheel 8 and the oscillatory arm 15 in such a position that the sprocket and idle wheels which support the sprocket-chain are always in the same plane, which insures the true and even movement of the chain between the two wheels, and that oscillatory movements of the oscillatory arm will produce a revoluble movement of the idle wheel about the axis of the sprocket-wheel in the arc of a circle concentric to such axis, whereby lateral movements in the plane of the sprocket-wheel may be imparted. to the sprocket-chain. B y impart ing such lateral movements to the sprocketchain 1 am able to force such chain into and out of engagement with another sprocket when located in the path of such movements that is, in the plane of the driving sprocketwheel and at a distance therefrom less than the distance between the chain-supporting wheels. I have shown such a sprocket 50, fixed upon the sprocket-hub 51, as by screws 52, which hub is rotary upon the supportingshaft 53. I have also shown this same hub provided with t v0 other sprockets 54 and 55, differing in diameter from each other and from the sprocket 50.

In Fig. 2 the sprocket-chain is shown in engagement with the sprocket 50, being held in engagement therewith by means of the stepped lever 57, having an operating-arm 58, connected by link 59 with the lever 60, fulcrumed at 61, provided with an operatinghandle 62, the lower step 63 bearing upon the lower side of the rib 64 on the lower side of the oscillatory arm. (Shown by solid lines in F 3 and by dotted lines in Figs, 1. and 2.)

By operating the hand-levers 60 and 62 so as to throw the levers 57 and. 58 from the po siti on shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3 the oscillatory arm is allowed to drop by gravity until the rib on the lower side of such arm rests upon the hub 65 of the stepped lever 57, as shown in Fig. 3, which forces the sprocket-chain out of engagement with the sprocket 50, the upper surface of the sprocketchain being represented by the broken line 31. and the extremities of the teeth of sprocket 50 being represented by the curved broken line 50.

T 0 force the sprocket-chain into engage ment again with the sprocket 50, it is only necessary to reverse the movement of the the position shown in Fig. 2.

As a means for forcing the sprocket-chain into engagement with. a predetermined or selected sprocket on the sprocket-hub it is only necessary to slide the sprocket-wheel S and the oscillatory arm 15 along the shaft 2 by means of the hand-lever 26 until the chain-supporting wheels 8 and 30 are in the same plane with such selected sprocket, while the chain is free from engagement with any hub-sprocket, as shown in Fig. 3.

A lateral movement is then given to the chain by means of the step-lever, as before explained, sufficient to force the chain into engagement with such selected sprocket, the' engaged the slide movement will be such as to bring the sprocket-chain, with its supporting-wheels, into the same plane with such hub-sprocket and the rib 64 directly over the step 67 in the step-lever.

It will be observed that the several steps are in the form of slots adapted to receive and fit the rib so as to maintain the movable parts securely fixed in the selected plane.

The hub 70, which supports the hubsprockets, may be connected in any known manner to communicate power for any de sired purpose.

As a preferred means I have shown a conical friction-flange 71, adapted to receive the conical flange 72 on the hub 73, slidable upon the shaft 74 and caused to rotate therewith by means of the spline 75 on such shaft. By sliding the hub 72 along the shaft 74 by means of the hand-lever 76, fulcrumed at 77 and resting in the groove 78 in the hub, power can be intermittingly imparted to the shaft 74 by means of the sprocket-hub 70. The shaft 74 is free to rotate in the bearing 79, while the shaft 53 is held in a fixed position by means of the clamp 80. The thrust against the sprocketdrub, which is loose on shaft 53, is taken up by the ballbearings 82 on the sleeve 83, held in place by the split sleeve 84, the two sections of the latter sleeve being hinged together at 85 on one side and secured together on the opposite side by means screw-bolts 86 passing. through the ears 87. By removing the screw-bolts 86 the split sleeve can be removed from the shaft and the sprocket-hub slid back from the hub 7 3, so as to expose the frictionsur faces of the cones to facilitate repairing without removing the shafts from their position or the hubs from their shafts.

I have also shown in Fig. 6 a convenient means for reversing the direction of motion imparted through the sprocket-hub, consisting of the section 90 of the shaft passing through a slide-bearing 91, terminating in a beveled gear 92, adapted 'to engage alternately with the beveled gears 98 and 94, fixed upon shaft 95. The section 90 is connected with the shaft 74 by means of the well-known form of universal joint 96, and

the bearing-block 91 is supported by the slides 97, movable in the slid ew ays 98, which slides are operated by a bell-crank lever 99, fulcrumed at 100 and provided with an opcrating-rod 101. When the beveled gear 92 is in engagement with the gear 93, the shaft 95 rotates in one direction, and when the gear 92 is thrown out' of engagement with gear 93 and into engagement with gear 94 the shaft 95 will be rotated in the opposite direction. I am thus able to provide a convenient and easily-operated means for changing from one speed to another, While the mo tor continues in operation without undue shock, which would injure any part of the machinery.

There being much less rigi dity in a sprocketchain than in a gearavheel, there is the minimum danger of breaking the chain or the sprocket-wheel while forcing the moving chain into engagement with the stationary sprocket-wheel, together with the maximum certainty of successfully affecting the engagement, whereas the attempted engagement of a moving gear-wheel, with a stationary one is attended with great danger of breaking the cogs and much uncertainty in affecting instant and successful engagement.

I have shown my invention in connection with a sprocketgearing. It is obvious, however, that the invention is applicable to other forms of flexible transmitting devices movable back and forth from one plane to another and oscillatory in such planes to engage alternately with gear-wheels differing in diameter and located, respectively, in such planes.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a motor-shaft; a drive-wheel fixed to rotate with, and slide longitudinally of, such shaft; an idle wheel; a movable support for the idle wheel; and a flexible transmitting member mounted upon the wheels; of a counter drive-shaft; a plurality of wheels fixed upon such drive-shaft in planes parallel with the plane of the flexible transmitting member and differing from each other in diameter; means for moving the flexible transmitting device from the plane of one of the Wheels on the counter drive-shaft to that of another; and means for moving the flexible transmitting member into and out of engagement with that one of the counter-shaft wheels which occupies the same plane with the flexible transmitting member.

2. The combination with a driveshaft and a plurality of wheels differing in diameter and fixed upon the shaft; of a motor-wheel movable laterally; a loose wheel; supports for the loose wheel movable in the plane of the motor-wheel, and also at right angles to such plane a flexible transmitting member mounted upon the motor-wheel and loose wheel; and means for imparting to the flexible transmitting member and its supporting-wheels reciprocating movements 'at right angles to the planes of the driveshaft wheels; and means for imparting to the flexible transmitting member to-and-fro movements in the planes of the drive-shaft wheels respectively, whereby the flexible member may be brought into and out of engagement with any one of the plurality of drive-wheels fixed on the drive-shaft, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a motor-shaft a driving-sprocket; sprocket-driven sprocketchains; and chain-supports movable longitudinally of the shaft, the sprocket-chain being capable of lateral movementsin the plane of the driving-sprocket; of a working hub having a plurality of sprockets of differing diameters fixed thereon in parallel planes each parallel to the plane of the driving-sprocket;

means for moving the chain with its sup ports longitudinally of the shaft into the plane of a selected hub-sprocket; and means for communicating the desired lateral movements to the chain, whereby the selected hubsprocket is engaged by the chain, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a motor-shaft; and sprocket-wheel mounted to rotate with and slide longitudinally thereof; of an oscillatory arm loosely mounted upon such powershaft and adapted to slide longitudinally thereof; a sprocket-chain supported by the sprocket-wheel, and an idle wheel on the arm; a working hub having a plurality of sprockets of differing diameters fixed thereon in parallel planes, each parallel to the plane of the chain-supporting wheels; means for moving the chain-supporting wheels from the 7 plane of one hub-sprocket to that of another;

and means for communicating varying oscillatory movements to the arm, whereby the chain can be forced into and out of engagement with any predetermined hubsprocket, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a motor-shaft; and sprocket-wheel mounted to rotate with and slide longitudinally thereof; of an oscillatory arm loosely mounted upon such powershaft and adapted to slide longitudinally thereof; a sprocket-chain supported by the sprocket-wheel, and an idle wheel on the arm;

I ameters of the hub-sprockets and severally a ,working hub havinga plurality of sprockets of differing diameters fixed thereon in parallel planes, each parallel to the plane of movements.

the chain-supporting wheels; means for mov- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set ing the chain-supporting wheels from the i my hand this 19th day of May, 1906.

plane of one huh-sprocket to that of another; T anrl a lever provided with a plurality of steps FEAR KLIN XVELLER arranged at different distances from the lever- \Vitnesses communicating and controlling its oscillatory fulcrum corresponding with the differing di- GEO. A. MOSHER,

E. M. OR-EILLY.

adapted to engage the oscillatory arm for 

